Originally Posted by
anatta
the premise of managing a relationship where interests overlap/interact is formalized with the term realpolitik.
even alliances are based on common interests.
There are "friendship" based relationship like we have with Great Britain/France ("special relationships)
but they are the exception to the rule
Exactly.
Britain and France are basically family, in historical terms lol.
Followed next by Canada and our European WWII allies [and I suppose Germany since we conquered them]---the rest are just garden variety diplomatic friends.
Enemy number one is NK, followed by Iran. Russia, since they don't make a habit of threatening to nuke us or chant 'death to America', is rightly regarded as a geopolitical foe.
Basically, they are a country that competes for hegemony with the US but war isn't on the table. War with Russia isn't even simmering on the stove in the kitchen. A Russian invasion isn't something Putin could pull off even if he felt compelled to try---he would have his a** handed to him.
Which leaves nukes. But he would need to be insane to go that route, and Putin isn't insane.
So, what does one do? Try as best you can to get along, counter them diplomatically when necessary---and if they are useful in some form or fashion, by all means use them.
Russia and the West are both threatened by radical Islam so our interests over lap there. And we both have an interest in solving Syria.
Let's not be idiots and work with them where we can.
Coup has started. First of many steps. Impeachment will follow ultimately~WB attorney Mark Zaid, January 2017
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